Admiration and gratitude: the message clearly reflects a feeling of admiration and gratitude towards Pope Pius VII. It emphasises his personal virtues, such as faith, meekness, humanity, and mercy, which make him a revered figure.
We publish below the message that the Holy Father Francis sent to the Bishop of Cesena-Sarsina, H.E. Monsignor Douglas Regattieri, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the death of the Servant of God Pius VII:
Message of the Holy Father
To our dear brother
Bishop Douglas REGATTIERI
Bishop of Cesena-Sarsina
The significant anniversary of the bicentenary of the death of the Servant of God, Pope Pius VII, is a happy occasion for me to address a cordial greeting to you, dear Brother, and to the whole civil and ecclesial Community of Cesena-Sarsina, which remembers with gratitude an illustrious son, a courageous pastor, a solicitous defender of the Church. To all those who participate in the many initiatives that characterise the “School Year” I wish to convey my paternal closeness and good wishes.
On rereading the life of this venerated Predecessor, a personality of deep faith, gentleness, humanity and mercy, who distinguished himself by his competence and prudence in the face of those who impeded the Libertas Ecclesiae, feelings of gratitude and admiration arise for the spiritual legacy he left behind and for the evangelical frankness with which he endured the difficult trials during the twenty-three years of his Pontificate. Despite the political and social turbulence that marked that century, he confidently abandoned himself to the will of God and accepted the humiliation of exile with exemplary docility, offering everything to the Lord for the good of the Church.
Pope Chiaramonti was a man of clairvoyant intelligence, who was forged first at the Benedictine Abbey of Cesena and then at the Abbey of San Paolo Fuori le Mura in Rome, thus acquiring a vast theological preparation which he later made available to the academic world. In addition to the proven culture with which he was adorned, together with the obvious virtues he possessed, at an early age he was called to be bishop in two different dioceses. As a pastor, he distinguished himself by his charisma and goodness of spirit. Indeed, during the years of his episcopal ministry, he did not hesitate to devote himself to the care of the people, devoting himself to alleviating the many sufferings of those afflicted by precarious conditions.
Certainly, if we consider the historical period in which Pope Pius VII lived, we cannot fail to note the great wisdom with which he was able to be an “ambassador of peace” to those who wielded temporal power. Faced with a controversial political scenario and a pretextual action that threatened the salus animarum, he, with the serenity of one who always trusts in God’s providential intervention, did everything in his power not to fail in his mission of “guardian and guide of the flock” and, despite the restrictions imposed, he continued fearlessly to proclaim the consoling power of the Gospel of Christ, according to the spirit of the Beatitudes that calls peacemakers children of God (cf. Mt 5:9).
Dear brother, I entrust to the faithful of this diocese the task of making the life and pastoral work of this esteemed Successor of the Apostle Peter, your beloved fellow citizen, adequately known, so that he may arouse the same passion in the service of neighbour and in the building of a harmonious society, and point to peace as a path of hope, of respectful dialogue and of Christian reconciliation. As I entrust you to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, invoking the intercession of the Servant of God Pope Pius VII, I bless each one of you from my heart, and I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me.
Fraternally
Rome, from St. John Lateran, 21 September 2023
Feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist
FRANCISCO
